Only three NBA games on today’s schedule but should be some good action. Be sure to check injury reports as these articles and picks change with new information!
Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks
The battle of the East and West juggernauts is upon us. Some say Lebron is the best player in the world, some say Giannis is the best. Well ladies and gentlemen, this should be an excellent showcase as two of the best teams and players go at each other in what should be a great game.
The Lakers come into this game after dropping a close game with the Warriors that saw them lose an almost 20 point lead. However, the Lakers are on an 8 game win streak on the road and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
The Lakers have not lost two games in a row this season and it was rare last season as well. This could change due to the number of players who could miss this game. Dudley and Giannis’ brother, Kostas are officially ruled out for this game. Both are not huge losses to their roster. However, James, Davis, Matthews, Caldwell-Pope are all game-time decisions. If James and Davis, or at least one sits, plus will have a drastic impact on both sides of the ball affecting the outcome of the game.
The Lakers are one of the best offensive teams in this league. They are 2nd in field goal percentage, 5th in three point field goal percentage and 11th in assists. They seem to find always find the open shot and dish it to the open man if they can’t find the shot in the iso. The offense is lead by James who is still a dominant force in this league behind his 23.7 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 7.9 RPG. The age of James is clearly not a concern as he is still doing it all on the court while averaging around 31 MPG. Davis is also showing that he is best big man in the league averaging 21.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 9.0 RPG. The Lakers are deep, allowing them to run more guys giving them fresher legs for their starters late on the game.
The Bucks are also coming into this game after a two point loss to the new look Nets on the road. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have not lost back to back games this season either, meaning we will get maximum effort from both teams to assert dominance.
The Bucks are just as talented on offense as the Lakers. They are 5th in field goal percentage, 2nd in three point field goal percentage, and 10th in assists. They are neck and neck in these categories. The Bucks are also successful on the boards as they are ranked 4th in this category and the Lakers are ranked 3rd.
There is no clear advantage on offense which means this game will come down to defense and limiting each teams top scorer. The Bucks are lead by Giannis who averaging a double-double behind his possible third year MVP season averaging 27.2 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 10.2 RPG.
The main difference-maker in this game will come down to the injuries on the Lakers. The Lakers are the -1.0 slight favorite on the road. If James and/or Davis sits, the Bucks +1.0 is the play. If they are a go, then take Lakers -1.0 as they are the deeper team. They both have the talent to match up against each other so be sure to check the injury report before making a wager.
New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors
Due to time constraints on my part, this will not be a full analysis. The Warriors are the -5.5 favorite at home. They are on a two game winning streak and are 6-4 in their last 10. Curry has been on absolute fire this season averaging 28.1 PPG and the Knicks do not have the defensive talent to guard him. The Warriors are relatively healthy and their main core are all a go.
The Knicks are surprising playing decent basketball this season with a 7-8 record and are 8th in the East. They are also on a two game win streak and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Rivers and Burke are listed as game-time decisions. The key to the Knicks win is for Randle to blow through defensive juggernaut Green.
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The Warriors are simply to hot and get the home field advantage making Warriors -5.5 the play as the Knicks wining three games in a row is highly unlikely due to their boom or bust offense.
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